Make Prioritization Your Passion

Principle #2: Self-leadership means scheduling what’s important to you.
Make prioritization your passion.

If you do not take control of your schedule, it will take control of you. Stephen Covey put it this way: “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities. In this high-productivity world we often forget that there comes a time when we need to unplug. Work spills over into family. Family gets neglected. Stress builds and relationships—the ones closest to you—become strained.

You must learn to schedule time with your loved ones first and foremost. You must be in the memory making business. I have friends who schedule their lunch breaks so that it shows up busy on their calendars. I have other friends who schedule time with their kids during the workweek; when something work-related comes up, they simply fall back on their calendar that says “Football with Billy” or “Lunch Date with Madison.”

My wife Sheryl was amazing about this concept. Today is a hard day for me because 1-year ago, she slipped into a coma on this day. And a week later, she was gone -safely home and free of pain. But in her life, priorities mattered. Her keys to making memories is good advice for us all.

1. Never say no to a memory making moment. If may never present itself again.

2. Take as many pictures as you can and take one night a week to look at them as a family.

3. Become passionate about creating memories by giving cards that people will keep a lifetime.

4. The smallest phrases are the most powerful, and overtime create the most priceless memories.


If you have a family, they are your first priority. Once they are taken care of, then schedule accordingly. Prioritizing is essential to knowing what gets scheduled and what you say no to. The great German writer and philosopher Goethe said it best: “Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Make sure today you do what matters most before you do what matters least.